How to Root and install TWRP recovery on Moto Z

Root and install TWRP v3.1.1-0 custom recovery on Moto Z (griffin) smartphone. Launched in June 2016, Motorola Moto Z is an incredibly thin Android phone with some noteworthy specs and features. But however amazing an android device is, if it isn’t rooted, you’ll never experience its maximum potential. A rooted phone allows you to access or modify everything present on the phone. It gives a complete privilege to fully control your phones entire system. From being able to remove bloatware to flashing a custom ROM, you can get to do all these when you root your device.

So in this article we’ll be discussing some easy steps for rooting and installing TWRP v3.1.1-0 custom recovery on Moto Z (griffin) smartphone. All thanks to the Teamwin and Chainfire for the root and TWRP files. Flashing a custom recovery like CWM (Clockworkmod) or TWRP (Team win recovery project) gives various beneficial opportunities to implement on your phone like installing a custom firmware, custom kernel, doing a nandroid backup or restore, flashing mods, removing bloatwares, increasing internal memory, doing factory reset and much more. Let’s have a look at the features of the latest TWRP recovery v3.1.1-0 given below.

Features:

Fixed rebooting when no OS is present (Dees_Troy)

Fixed line wrapping in the GUI terminal (_that)

Fixed an adb restore issue (bigbiff)

Updated TWRP source code to AOSP 7.1.2 (Dees_Troy)

Backups will now include adopted storage keys (Dees_Troy)

So if you wish to root and install TWRP v3.1.1-0 custom recovery on Moto Z (griffin) smartphone, then the guide below is all you need.

Disclaimer:

This guide is intended for advanced users. If you brick your Moto Z by implementing the steps given this tutorial, whole responsibility will be yours. We’ll not be liable for any damage. Although the chances are very low.

Compatibility:

This tutorial is strictly intended for Motorola Moto Z (griffin) / Moto Z Droid. Using this process on any other device or variant may damage your device permanently.

Pre-Requisites:

It is recommended to backup your contacts, apps, messages, notes, call logs etc. for safety. You can use any backup app from Play Store for doing so.

Make sure your computer has Motorola mobile specific USB drivers installed in it. This is essential so as to detect your Moto Z when connected to computer. You can manually install the drivers from the link given below.

Enable the USB Debugging mode on your device by following the path: Menu->Settings->Developer options->USB Debugging. If you can’t see Developer option then go to Settings->About Phone and tap 7 times on the Build number. This will make the Developers option appear in the Settings menu.

Also enable the OEM Unlock mode on your phone by following the path Menu->Settings->Developer options ->OEM Unlock.

This procedure uses steps for ADB on Windows. If you’re on Mac or Linux, the steps will slightly vary for you.

Procedure to Install latest TWRP v3.1.1-0 on Moto Z:

Step 1: Download and install the ADB and Fastboot setup on your computer.

Step 2: Also download the TWRP.img file on your computer. Copy this twrp.img file to the location C:\Program Files\Minimal ADB and Fastboot folder (where you’ve installed the adb and fastboot).

Step 3: So you’ll have these files in the Minimal ADB and Fastboot folder:

Step 4: Using the USB cable connect your Moto Z to computer.

Step 5: Now go to the C:\Program Files\Minimal ADB and Fastboot folder, hold Shift button and right mouse click on an empty space. You’ll see a list of options from which select Open command window here option. This will launch the command prompt window on your computer. Refer screenshot.

Step 6: Now to ensure that your Moto Z is successfully connected to your computer or not, type the following commands in the command window and press enter key:

adb devices

As soon as you press enter key, you’ll see a message saying ‘List of devices attached’ along with some random numbers. This will confirm that your Moto Z has properly connected to your computer.

Note: If such thing doesn’t happen, then re-install device drivers (link given in pre-requisites), enable USB debugging mode and try again. If the problem still persists, try changing USB cable or even the USB port.

Step 7: Now you need to boot your phone into fastboot mode. For that type the following command in the command window and press enter key:

adb reboot bootloader

As soon as you press the enter key, your Moto Z will boot into fastboot mode as shown below:

Step 8: To confirm whether fastboot is functional or not, type the following command in the command window and press enter key:

fastboot devices

Some random number along with ‘List of devices attached’ message will prove that fastboot is functional.

Step 9: Now let’s flash the latest TWRP v3.1.1-0 recovery. So type the following command and press enter key:

fastboot flash recovery twrp.img

As you hit enter, the TWRP recovery will be installed on your Moto Z. Refer the screenshot:

Note: In fastboot mode, Volume buttons are used for scrolling and Power button is used for selecting a particular option.

Step 10: After successfully flashing the TWRP v3.1.1-0 recovery, on your phone (which is still in fastboot mode) go to the Recovery option by pressing volume down button.

Step 11: And then press Power button to select the Recovery mode option.

As soon as you press the volume up key, your device will automatically boot into the installed TWRP v3.1.1-0 recovery.

Note: As you enter the TWRP recovery you’ll be asked to modify the system partitions or not. So tick on never show this screen and just swipe to the right side to allow modifications.

Great! The latest TWRP v3.1.1-0 custom recovery has been successfully installed on your Moto Z smartphone. Now lets go to the rooting process.

Step 4: Now to flash the Update Super SU zip file click on the Install option present on the TWRP recovery itself.

Step 5: On the next screen, you’ll see all the files and folders located on phone.

Step 6: Just select the Update Super SU zip file to install. On the next screen just swipe right to start the actual Rooting process.

Step 7: Be patient and wait until the process completes successfully. As soon as the process completes, you’ll see a successful message on the screen. This will confirm that you have successfully rooted your Moto Z smartphone. Just click on the Reboot System option to restart your phone.

You can use Root Checker app to confirm whether your Moto Z is successfully rooted or not. Also an app named Superuser installed on your phone will confirm that your phone is rooted. This Superuser app supervises each and every app that requires a root access.

Success

Awesome! 👊 You’ve successfully rooted and installed the latest TWRP v3.1.1-0 custom recovery on your Motorola Moto Z (griffin) XT1650 smartphone. Now you are free to flash those unofficial custom ROMs, custom kernels, mods, remove bloatware, take nandroid backups or restore, wipe data, do factory reset, increase internal memory and do much more on your Moto Z. Do let us know how it is working for you. Till then Enjoy and Peace out! 😎✌